Chilled - The Warmth Trilogy [BOOK 2] Twilight Fanfiction

XII. 𝐈𝚴𝐓𝐑𝐔𝐃𝐄𝐑

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

The drive from then on was silent. There was enough said to keep us thinking, though I had the safe assumption that we were thinking about separate things. The moon hung high in the sky, casting the illusion of its pursuit to our destination.

Looking past the Olympic National Park sign when we arrived, I could already see the vast difference between the main forest and the one that stood before us. The Sitka spruce and western hemlock were so dominant in this area. There were species of folia I wasn't aware of either.

As we got out of the car, I tossed Jacob the keys. Though he wasn't paying attention, his quick reflexes got the better of him, and his hand slipped up unconsciously to grab them. He took a moment to inspect it before looking at me with a doe-eyed expression.

"You mean it?!" he beckoned.

"I'm begging people to drive it at this point."

He made a face like I was going a hundred miles an hour again.

Trying to distract me from explaining further, I squinted my eyes toward the forest. "So where are we supposed to go?"

"Just follow my lead," he suggested, scratching the back of his head as we treaded slowly towards the canopy. "There's a special tree we rendezvous at."

We continued walking for the next few minutes. The trees were so dense that the moon disappeared. Because I couldn't see, I had to rely on Jacob's senses to get us through until my eyes adjusted to the light. I quickly got close to him, fearing I would trip over something, and grabbed the fabrics on the arm of his t-shirt. He looked back at me momentarily, almost confirming it was me, before continuing.

"Cold?" Jacob whispered. I realized my shivers weren't going unnoticed.

"Shut up," I mocked, unsurprised at his teasing.

I could feel the weight of the moss compressing under my feet. I could hear water slushing like we were stepping on sponges. The dress shoes Alice got me were futile to the water regardless of how extravagant they were.

I squeezed my eyes tightly together and waited patiently for any light source. Each time I opened my eyes, I realized how much darker it was getting, cringing at the idea that I could lose Jacob and get lost. Bad luck like that was something I was usually prone to.

In the distance, a northern-spotted owl sang its coo, permeating an echo across the forest.

The wind came through simultaneously, bristling the trees back and forth in a calm rhythm. It was at that moment that Jacob's movement slowed a bit. He was close enough that I had the faint image of him listening. "Everyone's up ahead — just a few more minutes. Even — " His voice trailed off into mute silence.

"Even who?" I asked nervously. Seth's perfect image crossed my mind before dissipating like a breath of wind through a smoke cloud.

"Damn girl," Jacob nearly spat.

I didn't expect Renesmee to have convinced Emmett. Too, I guessed by the venom lacing Jacob's words that he didn't expect her to be present at tonight's gathering.

"Thought you would respect her decision," I teased mercilessly.

His mouth hung wider than usual before locking like he was chewing on something hard. For a moment, I hoped he wasn't dumb enough to take his frustrations to his own tongue. When I giggled, beyond my control, he took a deep breath to control himself.

I had many more grievances to bestow on him, but I could hear hushed voices ahead. Though I knew who the voices belonged to, I halfway smiled. Though I had been looking forward to tonight, the reality was bleaker.